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Parting ways

Patty Schnyder separates from controversial trainer

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Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 12:43 PM

Schnyder: "My ranking is dropping. That's pressure. It's my tennis I have to get back and I don't know how long that's going to take." Alex Livesey/Allsport

BERLIN (AP) -- Swiss tennis star Patty Schnyder said Tuesday she has separated from her controversial trainer who has been described as a "faith healer."

The 20-year-old's affiliation with Rainer Harnecker, a 42-year-old German with litte coaching experience, had led to rifts with her family and boyfriend and isolated her on the women's tennis tour.

"I'm not returning to Rainer, but I don't want to say anything bad about him," said Schnyder, who refused to elaborate.

Schnyder, entered in the German Open, has seen her world ranking drop from No. 9 to 12 since getting involved with Harnecker, whom she met on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

He has urged Schnyder to drink several quarts of orange juice each day, telling a Zurich newspaper it is "almost identical to mother's milk."

Harnecker is under investigation in Germany for practicing medicine without a proper license.

Schnyder apparently healed the rift with her mother last week when they reunited at the Italian Open. They saw each other for the first time in two months.

At the time, Schnyder said the tension was hurting her game.

"I have a lot of thoughts on my mind," she said. "My ranking is dropping. That's pressure. It's my tennis I have to get back and I don't know how long that's going to take."

German Open officials said a report in Tuesday's edition of the Zurich newspaper Blick falsely claimed that Schnyder had asked for 24-hour bodyguard protection because she felt threatened by Harnecker.

"It doesn't have anything specifically to do with Harnecker," said tournament spokesman Jens-Peter Hecht.

"She has a bodyguard like other top players. There are four or five that have requested one," he added.

Schnyder has played erratically since opening the year by winning the Gold Coast tournament in Australia. Since then, she has reached the semis only once.

She also skipped the Federation Cup last month after her relationship with Harnecker led to problems with Swiss team officials.

 

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